State Status
No Preemption
Quote
"The tobacco industry clearly recognizes preemption as their best tactic against tobacco control. We know this through their behavior and through recently leaked internal documents... The only answer is NO PREEMPTION, ever. There's never a benefit to the public from preemption, and there's always a cost."
Americans for Nonsmokers' RightsUPDATE, Winter 1992
North Dakota
As of December 6, 2012, North Dakota's public places and workplaces are 100% smokefree, including all restaurants, bars, gambling facilities, hotels and motels, truck stops, and retail tobacco stores. The law went into effect a month after North Dakota voters chose to put a stronger smokefree law in place by an overwhelming majority of 66% in favor. This state law was built upon 14 strong local laws in communities across the state. Read North Dakota's 100% smokefree law.
Learn more about North Dakota's smokefree law at BreatheND and NDHealth.gov, or view this brochure.
Prior to the 2012 law, North Dakota prohibited smoking in public places and places of employment as of August 1, 2005, but smoking was still allowed in bars, separately enclosed bar areas of restaurants and hotels, and several other types of workplaces.
North Dakota does not preempt local control. The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion on June 29, 2005 stating that Senate Bill 2300, effective August 1, 2005, preempts all city or county ordinances that provide less protection from secondhand smoke than the new law, but permits local ordinances that provide more protection. Read more about current tobacco-related legislation in North Dakota.
Current tobacco-related statistics are available from the Centers for Disease Control's Tobacco Control State Highlights, 2010.
North Dakota does not have a 2018 Legislative Session
Legislative SummariesArchives
- 1/31/2019HB1274—(vehicles with minors)—A relating to smoking in a motor vehicle with a child present—Failed vote 57-31
- 2/1/2019SB2137—(cigar bar exemption)—An Act relating to cigar bars—Failed vote 30-17
Action AlertsArchives
- 4/1/2013No April Fools North Dakota - Please contact your lawmakers!
- 2/4/2011What's happening in the U.S. Territories and Commonwealths?
News SummariesArchives
- 7/31/2019States Are Thwarting Cities' Attempts to Govern Themselves
- 4/29/2019In Washington, Juul Vows to Curb Youth Vaping. Its Lobbying in States Runs Counter to That Pledge.
- 1/9/2019North Dakota Senator Seeks To Create Cigar Bar Bill
- 10/13/2017State lawmakers choose winners and losers through preemption
- 7/6/2017Blue Cities Want to Make Their Own Rules. Red States Won't Let Them.
- 5/10/2017The Threat of Super-Preemption
- 3/6/2017Preemption Prevents Innovation
- 2/21/2017City Rights in an Era of Preemption: A State-by-State Analysis
- 2/2/2017Red State, Blue City
- 1/5/2017GOP aims to rein in liberal cities
- 9/9/2016How ALEC, ACCE, and Preemption Laws are Gutting the Powers of American Cities
- 8/22/2016Blue Cities, Red States
- 6/28/2016Colorado Preemptions of Local Government: The Need for the Colorado Community Rights Amendment
- 6/23/2016State and Local Comprehensive Smoke-Free Laws for Worksites, Restaurants, and Bars--United States, 2015
- 4/6/2016From Fracking Bans To Paid Sick Leave: How States Are Overruling Local Laws
- 4/1/2016Growing Southern cities are increasingly targets of state pre-emption
- 3/25/2016Beyond North Carolina's LGBT Battle: States' War on Cities
- 2/4/2016Corporate Interests Take Aim at Local Democracy
- 8/6/2015Blowing the Whistle on ALEC's Little Brother ACCE
- 7/7/2015Four Ways ALEC Tried to Ruin Your State this Year
- 5/17/2015Say no: States increasingly blocking cities and counties from imposing mandates on businesses
- 5/8/2015State lawmakers hate federal meddling even as they preempt local government
- 3/30/2015The ALEC-Backed War on Local Democracy
- 2/23/2015Govern Yourselves, State Lawmakers Tell Cities, but Not Too Much
- 12/6/2012Lights out: Smoking ban takes effect in public places
- 12/3/2012Bismarck businesses preparing for smoking ban
- 11/6/2012ND voters ban smoking in bars, indoor workplaces
- 11/3/2012Gail Halverson, Grand Forks, letter: Yes on 4 means better health for all
- 10/26/2012POLL: Smoking ban support polls at 61 percent
- 10/18/2012Smoking ban goes to the voters
- 10/3/2012Voters will consider five ballot measures in the General Election
- 9/13/2012All North Dakota Workplaces Could be Smoke-Free by Christmas
- 7/19/2012No-smoking group collecting signatures at N.D. State Fair
- 6/22/2012Expect measure to ban smoking to make ballot
- 6/22/2012ND Sec of State approves smoking measure language
- 2/1/2011Anti-smoking bill fails
- 1/27/2011Deadwood smoking ban revisited
- 1/24/2011Incentive to go smoke-free supported, attacked
- 1/13/2011Bill takes another run at banning smoking with kids in the car
- 12/30/2010Legislators content with tobacco rules, any new efforts may be local
- 2/5/2010State Preemption of Local Smoke-Free Laws in Government Work Sites, Private Work Sites, and Restaurants United States, 2005-2009
- 2/19/2009Smoking ban in bars beaten in ND House
Press ReleasesArchives
There aren't any press releases for this state at this time. Please check back.
State Specific Resources
- 2/10/2012Map of North Dakota counties with anti-preemption resolutions
- 4/27/2007North Dakota Preemption Materials
- 8/2/2004Thank You Flyer for Anti-Preemption Resolutions
- 11/18/2005Resolutions: North Dakota League of Cities